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Through social media posts shared by his daughters. And while he still looks fit for 69, it’s evident that the legendary performer is deteriorating, an unavoidable side effect of his dementia diagnosis. Many of us thrive on these updates, as we want to see Willis and his family healthy and happy. And this recent post on Thanksgiving from Willis and Moore’s daughter, Tallulah Willis, hit me directly in the heart thanks to a sign/placard the girls had their father hold.
“Best Dad Ever.” That’s the message on the sign that Bruce Willis is holding in this beautiful photo shared to Tallulah Willis’ Instagram. She accompanies the post with the simple message to readers: “Grateful.” And let me tell you: As someone who spent a magnificent and relaxing day on Thanksgiving this year with my college-age son who came home for the holiday, and my teenage son who’s on the college search, the emotion of that three-word sign has hit me a lot harder than I anticipated.
Bruce Willis is an icon. That hardly needs to be said. Fans can spend infinite amounts of time arguing over Bruce Willis’ best movies, and we love hearing stories from his famous directors about experiences they had on set for the filming of The Sixth Sense, Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, 12 Monkeys and, of course, Die Hard. Heck, it’s almost Christmas time, when you know some Willis fan is going to spark the ongoing debate over Die Hard’s status as a Christmas movie. Even though Willis himself weighed in on the topic, and should be the final word.
But the current conversation on Willis has involved his health. In March 2022, Demi Moore announced on her own social media channels that Willis would be retiring from acting, thanks to a diagnosis of aphasia. This has led to Willis suffering from frontal temporal dementia, and has limited the actor’s life from that point forward. His family has kept his worldwide fans in the loop on his condition. But it’s the Thanksgiving message that has so many of them responding with heartfelt tears and appreciation.
Yes, Willis is an actor, and a massive Hollywood star. But what this photo reminds me is that he’s also – and more importantly, always – a father. And a husband. He is loved by his daughters, and cared for by his current wife, Emma Heming. The photos that they choose to share show the daily activity of a beloved family man, and we all can relate to that. It brings me real tears to see an icon of my childhood, and an actor I wrote a book about, fading from the spotlight. But when I see this gentle reminder that his family adores him, and considers him to be one of the greatest fathers on the planet, it inspires me to try harder, to keep fighting, and to live every single day to the fullest.
